Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 7 – pt 1

Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 7 – pt 1.

 

Character Study: Teen Titans

To me, the latest issue of Teen Titans feels like little actually happened to progress the story, but that it was mainly building up the characters in it.  So instead of an issue 3 review, I figured I’d do a slight character study instead.  Be warned, though I’ll try to avoid it this time, there could still be spoilers in here.

DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 11

 

If it’s short, sharp reviews of the New 52 ye seek, then here be one sentence reviews for the comics of the week.

Each comic is scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain. 

I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.

Warning, there could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).

Justice League Unlimited: Season 1, Eps. 22-25

“Question Authority”, “Flashpoint”, “Panic in the Sky”, “Divided We Fall”

Yes, the Question did throw a computer monitor at that man's head.

The four-part story-arc that concludes Justice League Unlimited‘s Cadmus arc that has been running in the background all season is the best Justice League movie you’re going to get.  Running at just under 90 minutes, the set of episodes that begins with “Question Authority” and ends with “Divided We Fall” meets all the beats required of a superhero movie while still acting as four distinct, satisfying episodes.  In many ways, these episodes represent the culmination of the DCAU – a piece of stylish, serialized action storytelling is true to its characters and tells a coherent, thrilling story that calls back to the many years of continuity it built itself without demanding viewers be familiar with any or all of it.

Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 6

Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 6.

Review: Blue Beetle #3

Blue Beetle #3

I know that someone out there is going to read this next sentence and laugh at me, but here goes: I think that John Rogers’ run on Blue Beetle is one of the best superhero comics of the last decade.  And it wasn’t grim, it wasn’t gritty, it wasn’t ultraviolent.  It was a smartly-told book about a fundamentally good kid trying to live up to the impossible standards he set himself.  All that in a book that also just happened to include evil exploding electro-magnetic penguin creatures.  When I heard that Jaime Reyes would be the star of Blue Beetle in the new 52, I got very excited; when I read the first issue, my excitement was a bit dampened.

Review: Catwoman #3

Catwoman #3, cover by March

In part I think because of its proximity of release to Red Hood and the Outlaws, Judd Winick and Guillem March’s take on Catwoman got unfairly eviscerated by a lot of people.  Voodoo, which features even more explicit nudity and sexuality than Catwoman but was released a week later, largely avoided the controversy, after all.  And while I certainly had some issues with Catwoman #1, I said this: “While I do hope that the levels of cheesecake are toned down in the future – at this stage, it feels deeply exploitative to an almost satirical degree – I can’t deny that the issue was fun, energetic and lively.”   So, two months later, what’s going on in Catwoman?

Review: Supergirl #3

Supergirl #3, cover by Asrar & McCaig

I’ve never been a huge Supergirl fan.  Or, well, I’ve never been a huge Kara Zor-El fan.  For me, Supergirl was always Linda Lee Danvers, whose “Many Happy Returns” story-arc remains one of the best blends of modern age storytelling focusing and enhancing some silver age ideals (as well as being absolutely heartbreaking).  When Kara returned in the mid-2000s, it was as a sexed-up teenage brat, and it wasn’t long before I gave up on her completely.  It was only with the reboot, and my decision to give every book a shot, that I really decided to give Kara another chance to grab me, and I’m glad I did.  Michael Green and Mike Johnson are not telling a complicated story, but they are telling it well.

Review: Justice League #3

Justice League #3, cover by Lee, Williams & Sinclair

In a complete reversal of what normally happens to me when a Geoff Johns comic comes out, I’ve actually taken flak from some readers for not bashing on Justice League enough.  In fact, I’ve been fairly supportive of what he’s been trying to do, even if I see what he’s trying to do with the comic as being fairly flawed.  Despite that, I still maintain that the first two issues of Justice League are solid, enjoyable reads, confidently introducing us to the world and to the characters while setting up a threat big enough to unite them all.  Justice League #3 brings that threat very firmly to Earth, but loses the sense of characterization that drove the first two issues.

Review: Let Me In

 

 

Review: Let Me In

 

DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 10

Here you’ll find one sentence reviews of each ongoing title released this week.  They are scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain. 

I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.

There could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).

Justice League Unlimited: Season 1, Eps. 20-21

“Clash”, “Hunter’s Moon (a.k.a. ‘Mystery in Space’)”

From Justice League Unlimited, "Clash"

Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 5

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 5.

Review: American Horror Story, “Piggy, Piggy”

 

 

Review: American Horror Story, “Piggy, Piggy”

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Review: Penguin Pain & Prejudice #2

Wonder why you should care about the Penguin?  Maybe you don’t really see him much of a threat, or perhaps even a joke.  Well, Gregg Hurwitz will tell you precisely why you shouldn’t underestimate him, and this is a comic I suggest you pick up.

SPOILER WARNING!

Review: Batman and Robin #3

So I loved the first issue, the second left a slightly sour taste in my mouth though for how Damian was portrayed.  How will this one stand up though?

SPOILER WARNING!

Review: Legion Lost #3

So another issue of Legion Lost is here, and this one lets us know it is taking place in 2011.  Yes, it clearly states such in the third page and gives me a better feeling for the actual stakes this series holds.

SPOILER WARNING!

Review: Batgirl #3

Simone, what’s happening here?

SPOILER WARNING!

New DCnU Reviews – Week of 11/09

I’ve fallen a little behind in my comic book reading.  And as we head into the third issues for the relaunched books, I find myself struggling to find new things to say about most of them.  I find it both challenging and dull to write up the same books month after month.  This week, I thought I’d change things up with some mini-reviews.  No way I can limit myself to one sentence like Ike.  But I’ll keep my rambling to a minimum.

Regenesis Review/RANT: Uncanny X-Men #1

Let’s do a little exercise in history here and look at the publication of X-Men comics these last few years.  We’re in the midst of Regenesis right now, but where did that come from?  Well… Regensis -> Schism -> Second Coming -> Curse of the Mutants -> Necrosha -> Utopia -> Messiah War -> Messiah Complex -> Endangered Species -> House of M.  That’s 10 crossover events in 5-6 years.  For a single set of characters.  Each with accompanying reboots, relaunches, crossover minis and Things That Will Change Forever.